A perceptive exploration of architecture as the art of building, tracing it back to its roots in Ancient Greece and Rome. In a series of tightly argued essays, the author discusses the role of imitation, tectonics, ornament and originality in architecture, demonstrating that the classical is that which speaks of tradition always in a modern voice. 'A work is classical,' Porphyrios writes, 'not because it is immutable, eternal and sacred but because it continually searches for and brings out the new.' Classical Architecture is both a pedagogic and critical book that has implications for our present-day theory of style, our view of history, and for the practice of architecture. It looks at what tradition really means and how it relates to modernity. The extensive appendix brings together some of the most important classical texts relating to architecture. Lavishly illustrated in color and featuring numerous line drawings, is is now available in an affordable price in paperback for the first time. It is an invaluable book for architects, architecture students, readers from a wide range of disciplines, the general public, and indeed anyone who cares about the place of architecture in modern life.